Chapter 122: Soul-devouring Vicious Blade

The cart slowly rolled onto the stage from one side of the auction platform; unlike the previous items, this time the cart not only became larger, but the cloth covering it was changed to a bright, eye‑catching red.

Everything in this Starlight Auction House is related to color, with gold being the most noble, followed by red, the same color as a hundred‑thousand‑year soul ring; thus it is clear that this mysterious gift is extraordinary.

Soon it was pushed to the center of the stage beside Auctioneer Qingya; judging by the shape of the covering, the volume of this item seems not small.

Qingya did not keep everyone's appetite waiting too long; after a few words to warm up the crowd, she lifted the covering.

At the instant the covering was lifted, everyone's gazes were drawn to it in unison.

Instead of the dazzling brilliance or peerless radiance that the crowd had anticipated, what appeared was merely an object that looked utterly ordinary, something any soul tool master is very familiar with and cannot do without.

The item itself is small, about half a foot long and as thick as a finger; from bottom to top it tapers from wide to narrow, the tip looking extremely sharp, while the base is a blade about half an inch wide; overall it is simple and dark, with faint patterns engraved on it, giving off a faint ancient simplicity but also a hint of gloom.

Many bidders let out dissatisfied sighs; obviously they did not feel this mysterious gift brought any surprise, yet the pupils of a few people contracted rapidly, and the appearance of this item shocked them.

But Tang Wulin's reaction was rather different.

He focused his gaze on the small knife on the stage, his brows slightly furrowed.

As a Natural Son, he keenly sensed the strangeness of this small knife; although it contained strong vitality, that vitality faintly gave off a feeling that disgusted him, for example, like a delicious dish that has gone bad.

And as Qingya on stage finished explaining the history of this engraving knife, his doubts dissipated.

Obviously, this engraving knife has been cursed by the legendary Evil Soul Master; no matter how strong the vitality it contains, it now only turns into a deadly charm that takes lives, and is no longer suitable for use.

Many people shared his view; after hearing Qingya's introduction, their originally excited emotions cooled down all at once, and they fell into silence.

No matter how precious the List Engraving Blade is, it's not as valuable as one's own life; nobody dares to risk their life to bid on this famous vicious blade.

Meanwhile, Qingya on stage, while showing a smile on the surface, secretly let out a helpless sigh.

She knew that this engraving knife would likely go unsold again this time.

You should know that the Soul‑devouring Vicious Blade originally started at a base price of three hundred thousand gold soul coins, but now its opening bid has dropped to one hundred thousand gold soul coins, precisely because no one is willing to buy it, causing its price to fall repeatedly.

If it goes unsold, so be it; it's not the first time, and Qingya can only console herself in this way.

Then, at that moment, something unexpected happened—a childish voice suddenly rang out in the hall.

"One hundred thousand gold soul coins."

"?"

The turn of events came too suddenly, so Qingya didn't react at first and thought she was hallucinating.

Thus that childish voice sounded again.

"I bid one hundred thousand gold soul coins."

This time Qingya heard clearly, and she was overjoyed.

"Ah! Good, VIP No. 333 bids one hundred thousand gold soul coins; is there any other VIP willing to raise the bid?"

You should know that she can receive a one‑percent commission from the sale price of this List Engraving Blade, and each bid increase must be no less than five thousand gold soul coins; thus even if just one person raises the bid, she would gain at least fifty more gold soul coins, which is not an insignificant amount for her.

Obviously, the speaker was Huo Yutong; her utterance not only startled Qingya but also drew puzzled glances from the Shilake Academy crowd. Huo Yutong quickly whispered her explanation:

"Teacher Wang, having just probed it, I can sense where the problem lies with this Soul‑devouring Vicious Blade; I have a way to counteract its flaw, so let's buy it. If I'm not mistaken, this engraving knife should have been forged from extremely precious Mystic Metal Living Spirit Gold, and with my mental power and the attribute of Ultimate Ice I can completely clear away the lingering curse—there will be no problem."

Wang Yan still hesitated a bit.

"But Yutong, this concerns your future; don't you want to think it over again?"

Huo Yutong fell silent for a moment, then said:

"How about this, teacher? I'll first buy it but not use it; after returning to the Academy I'll try to lift the seal in the Sea God Pavilion. If the attempt fails, I'll seal it away in the Academy, and I will definitely repay this money—what do you think?"

Upon hearing her say that, Wang Yan suddenly felt a bit moved as well.

This is a List Engraving Blade, after all—normally a priceless item with no market. The Soul‑devouring Vicious Blade is priced at only one hundred thousand gold soul coins because of its horrendous curse, but if Huo Yutong really can dispel that curse, wouldn't that be like picking up a huge bargain?

You should know that even the Shilake Academy possesses only two List Engraving Blades—one in the hands of the Soul Tool System Dean Xian Lin'er, another in Fan Yu's hands; not even the Vice Dean of the Soul Tool System, Qian Duoduo, is worthy of owning a List Engraving Blade.

Even if one merely bought it for collection at a price of one hundred thousand gold soul coins, it would increase the Academy's List Engraving Blades to three, which wouldn't be a bad thing.

Moreover, the most important point is that Huo Yutong has already placed her bid; surely she can't take it back? Qingya on stage asked repeatedly, but still got no definite answer.

After all, nobody dares to gamble with their own life; if one acts rashly, who knows—this thing might truly end up in one's hands, and then one would truly be caught between a rock and a hard place.

Helpless, she could only begin the final three calls for bids.

"One hundred thousand gold soul coins, first call."

"One hundred thousand gold soul coins, second call."

"One hundred thousand gold soul coins, third call—deal!"

With the fall of the auction hammer, it also meant the formal change of ownership of this infamous vicious blade.

Huo Yutong immediately let out a sigh of relief.

Her insistence on buying this problematic Soul‑devouring Vicious Blade was due to Ilex's intention.

Upon seeing this engraving knife, Ilex immediately ordered Huo Yutong to obtain it at any cost.

Who is Ilex? The Snow Emperor was persuaded by him, Huo Yutong's and Tang Wulin's third martial souls were also his creations, and he himself possesses a divine sense; even he insisted that this thing be obtained at any cost, showing it is truly important.

As for Huo Yutong's claim of using mental power and Ultimate Ice to suppress the curse, that's naturally just bluster—she simply lacks that ability; the one who actually has it is Ilex.

By the way, the Soulguard Blade should be given to Yutong to strengthen her physique.

Ask me why? If Wulin lacks this, he merely misses a small strengthening opportunity, but if Yutong lacks it, her future sex life will be reduced!

Could there be anything more serious than that?!

(End of chapter)